China Experience Awakens Passion

Nick Winn, a senior with a double major in economics and Chinese, recently returned from a five-month study abroad experience in China. He says it changed not only his view of China, but also his career direction.

Winn won a $5,000 Freeman-Asia scholarship, which enabled him to study Chinese at Beijing (Peking) University. “Whenever I hear stereotypes, I want to go and find out the truth behind them,” he says, in explaining why he chose to study in China. “We have a lot of stereotypes about China. I wanted to see for myself.”

Read the full story at, http://www.willamette.edu/front_news/

China Trip Inspires Love for Democracy

Linsey Kunes has gained a new appreciation for freedom – and for small towns like Salem. A senior at Willamette University with a major in psychology and a minor in Chinese, Kunes won a $5,000 Freeman-Asia scholarship last semester. The funds sponsored an eye-opening, five-month study abroad experience in Bejing, China, a city with a burgeoning population of more than 7 million people.

Kunes, who plans to go to Alaska to graduate school next year and then teach in the Aleutian Islands, says her experiences in China have changed her forever. “I’m naturally really shy, but I learned to find other people and depend on them. Now I’m not so worried about asking for help. I feel more confident, like I can do anything.”

Read the full story at, http://www.willamette.edu/front_news/

Beijing Man with Nick and Kevin

J-P, Jacen, Nick, and Kevin in Tiananmen.

Jacen found something quick...

Kevin competes or resembles the Beijing Man?

Nick, Jacen, and Linsey at a pagoda

March 6, 2004. Nick writes:

Currently I am in a town called Haerbing. It is in the
Siberia of China. Currently it is at -10C. Last night I am pretty sure
that it was much colder. There is four of us that made the adventure. We
flew here and arrived in an Airport in the middle of nowhere. We then took
a cab ride to the city of 9.2 million people. We at first could not figure
out why they had so many people in an area that is this cold. As the
tripped progressed many of us claimed that we enjoyed it, and wouldn't
mind coming back. The first place that we went to was a hotel, since we
did not buy our train tickets back we decided that this would be the best
spot to buy them, acutally there was a lady on the bus that said that this
was where we will buy it. We thought a train station she thought a hotel.
Then she sold us a hotel room. After taking care of all of this we decided
to see the sights and sounds of the town. First stop, the natural history
museum of Haerbing. It was an aquarium and a bone collection all in one.
From here we walked to one of the few churches in Haerbing. Haerbing has
in the last centuries been controled by three diferent people. Russia
controled this area since 1880s or so, then Japan conquered it in WW2,
then China regained it. The town has a large Russian influence, and this
church was one of the influences that it had. It was my first time in an
Orthdox Church. Most of the detailed art has faded, because there has not
been that many congregations to maintain it. Outside you could pay to have
a pidgeon it from your hand, they put a velvet roap in order to accomplish
this one. After exploring all of the old photos of Haerbing that they had
inside we were off to our main destination, The Ice Latern Festival. We
had heard that the main part was closed down because the scuptures were
falling down. But we came anyhow. The lights were amazing. We partook in
breaking the icicles off the scuptlures and help with the destruction of
the scuptures. It was a winter wonderland, and the only regret that we had
was we wished that we had come sooner so that we could see it in all of
glory. Afterwards we had some authenitic Russian food, which I will say is
pretty good. Thus concludes day one. The next day the only thing that we
had planned was to go to the a Siberian Tiger reservation. This was by far
the coolest thing. It is simular to Wildlife Safari in the fact that you
get to drive around in a tour bus and be out with the animals. The main
difference is the fact that you can buy live animals to buy for the
tigers. We decided to pitch together and buy a sheep($70). The tigers
seemed to be on the relaxing phase of the day, until the goat(it was
suppose to be a sheep but I guese that they are all the same). The tiger
quickly grabbed it up and then the fight was on. It reminded me of being a
filmer for the Discovery Channel. After watching this I decided that I
would pitch in all of the dough to see a cow get chomped. The goal of this
place was to release these tigers eventually into the wild. So I thought
that buying live animals was the way to help this cause out. When the car
comes that drops out the animal, it drives fast then pushes the animal out
and then drives away. With the tour bus getting right up in the mix of the
tigers so that everyone can see. The cow was a different experience than I
expected, The goat was gone in 2 seconds. So it was easy to see it as
meat, where as the cow took 5 minutes and this was clearly an animal. When
the truck came that dropped the cow off, I looked into the cows eye and
saw that I had made a mistake. The cow let out a death sound as 15 tigers
attached themself to its throat. The whole ordeal ended when the car drug
it away after it was dead. We think probably so that the tigers would not
gorge themselves. This was a very real moment. It was a good experience
because it put everything into perspective. After talking about the
experience for some time and seeing the baby tigers(extremely cute) we
returned to Haerbin where we I am currently writing an email.

March 2, 2004. Jacen writes:

Everything in China is relative - language, prices, behavior, morality.
People say you can get away with almost anything here, but I have yet to
determine if that is merely because no action by foreigners is considered
too absurd. When I jog around campus, people stare at me as if I'm
running naked and playing a trumpet with my butt. When I try to reduce
the "illiterate foreigner" surcharge on most items, vendors seem shocked
by my effrontery. The difference between play-acting and valid custom is
impossible to determine, as difficult to understand as Chinese sarcasm
(yes, I'm CERTAIN that the gym treadmill/room internet connection/dorm
electricity will be fixed by tomorrow, Mr. Stupid American). Perhaps that
is why American students who have lived here long become increasingly
eccentric and unusual, lending a bizarre "Apocalypse Now" atmosphere to my
experience in China whenever I encounter one of the "old-timers." If the
Chinese already expect us to act a little crazy, why not oblige?

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